BUSINESS LETTER

1. Definition of Business Letter

Business letters are formal letters used for business-to-business, business-to-client, or client-to-business correspondence. There are a number of elements to a business letter.

2. Types of Business Letter

a. Letter of Complaint

A letter of complaint will almost certainly result in an official response if you approach it from a businesslike perspective. Make the complaint brief, to the point and polite. Politeness pays off regardless of the extent of anger you are actually feeling while composing this type of business letter.

b. Resume Cover Letter

A cover letter that accompanies a resume should revel in its brevity. You should take as little time and as few words as possible to accomplish one task: persuading the reader to anticipate reading your resume. Mention the title of the job for which you are applying, as well or one or two of your strongest selling points.

c. Letter of Recommendation

A recommendation letter allows you to use a few well-chosen words to the effect of letting someone else know how highly you value a third party. Resist the temptation to go overboard; approach your recommendation in a straightforward manner that still allows you to get the point across.

d. Letter of Resignation

An official letter of resignation is a business letter that should be fair and tactful. Be wary of burning any bridges that you may need to cross again in the future. Offer a valid reason for your resignation and avoid self-praise.

e. Job Applicant Not Hired

In some cases you may be required to write a business letter that informs a job applicant that he was not chosen for an open position. Offer an opening note of thanks for his time, compliment him on his experience or education and explain that he was just not what the company is looking for at the present time.

f. Declining Dinner Invitation

Declining a dinner invitation is a topic for a business letter that, if not done tactfully, may result in a social disadvantage. Extend your appreciation for the invitation and mention that you already have an engagement for that date. Do not go into detail about what the engagement is.

g. Reception of Gift

It is very polite to return a formal business response letting someone know that you have received her gift. Extend a personalized thanks to let her know that you are exactly aware of the contents of the gift. If possible, it is a good idea to include a sentiment suggesting that you have put the gift to use.

h. Notification of Error

When sending a business letter that lets the receiving party know that an error has been corrected, it is good business sense to include a copy of the error in question if there is paperwork evidence of it. Make the offer of additional copies of material involved in the error if necessary.

i. Thanks for Job Recommendation

A letter of thanks for a party that helped you get a job should be professional and courteous. Above all else, avoid the temptation to go overboard in offering your thanks. Be aware that your skills also helped you land the job and it was likely not handed to you as a result of the third party.

j. Information Request

A business letter that requests information should make the request specific and perfectly understandable. It is also a good idea to state the reason for the information request. Extend advance appreciation for the expected cooperation of the recipient.

3. Parts of Business Letter

a. The Heading (The Retern Address) or Letterhead

Companies usually use printed paper where heading or letterhead is specially designed at the top of the sheet. It bears all the necessary information about the organisation’s identity.

b. Date

Date of writing. The month should be fully spelled out and the year written with all four digits October 12, 2005 (12 October 2005 – UK style). The date is aligned with the return address. The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is pronounced but not written. In the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the day.

c. The Inside Address

In a business or formal letter you should give the address of the recipient after your own address. Include the recipient’s name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient’s name and title with a comma. Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient ‘s name.The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9″ business envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the envelope.

d. The Greeting

Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. It normally begins with the word “Dear” and always includes the person’s last name. Use every resource possible to address your letter to an actual person. If you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or Dear Human Resources Director). As a general rule the greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also acceptable to use a comma (UK style).

e. The Subject Line (optional)

Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the word Subject: or Re: Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all captial letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be located directly after the “inside address,” before the “greeting.”

f. The Body Paragraphs

The body is where you explain why you’re writing. It’s the main part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with “I”. Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a new idea or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs.

g. The Complimentary Close

This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center, depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The traditional rule of etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting “Dear Sir or Madam” must end “Yours faithfully”, while a letter starting “Dear ” must end “Yours sincerely”. (Note: the second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)

h. Signature and Writer’s identification

The signature is the last part of the letter. You should sign your first and last names. The signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink.

i. Initials, Enclosures, Copies 

Initials are to be included if someone other than the writer types the letter. If you include other material in the letter, put ‘Enclosure’, ‘Enc.’, or ‘ Encs. ‘, as appropriate, two lines below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are sent to someone else.

4. Styles of Business Letter

a. Full block style

The full block style has all the letter elements flush with the left margin; it is asymmetrical because there are wide white spaces on the right.

b. Block style

In a Block format letter : 

    (1) all text is aligned to the left margin, 

    (2) paragraphs are not indented. 

    (3) paragraphs are separated by double or triple spacing.

c. Semi block style

In a Semi-Block format letter : 

     (1) all text is aligned to the left margin, 

     (2) paragraphs are indented.

d. Indented style

Indented style is somewhat more complicated than other popular styles of business writing. In indented style, new paragraphs in a piece of writing are indented—that is, they begin about 1.5 centimeters to the right of the left margin. Other parts of a business letter are moved farther to the right half of the page. Indented style is one of the older formats for business writing currently in use, though other formats are becoming more popular. Indented style is a format that many of today’s business people were trained to use.

e. Simplified style

It differs from the simplified style in the sense that the salutation and the complimentary close are absent in the latter.

f. Hanging indentation style

A hanging indented letter style is when a paragraph is indented so that the first line hangs over the rest. Normally you would see a first line indent. This is when the first line is moved to the right and the rest of the paragraph starts at the margin. The most common place hanging indents are used is on a bibliography reference page. When typing you can change the indentation by either formatting the paragraph or changing the page margins.

Reference  :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_letter

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5024015_business-letters-definition.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_7535468_10-types-business-letters.html

http://www.icosmos.com.tw/templates/images/files/9789861845586.pdf

http://www.reference.com/motif/health/hanging-indented-letter-style

 

http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/business-letter-parts.html